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Teachers want drug control beyond mere bag checking

09 Sep 2022

BY Buddhika Samaraweera   Claiming that the use of drugs among schoolchildren and the incidence of schoolchildren undergoing drug-related rehabilitation have increased rapidly in the context of the Police allegedly aiding and abetting drug traffickers, the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) said that the Government should implement a programme that goes beyond primary methods such as checking school children’s bags to control the situation. Speaking to The Morning, CTU President Priyantha Fernando said: “Currently, drug use among schoolchildren has increased greatly. In the past, most schoolchildren who resorted to drug use were reported from urban and semi-urban schools, but now drug use is also high among schoolchildren in rural schools. The main reason for this situation is that some drug traffickers have the support of the Police.” He claimed that even though teachers and parents intervened and gave information to police stations in the respective areas about people dealing drugs around the schools, the relevant police stations had not taken action in that regard. He noted that in some areas, instead of taking steps to curb such activities, police officers are allegedly protecting drug traffickers by obtaining various favours from them.  “We clearly know that the spread of drugs has been supported by certain officials of the relevant law enforcement agencies. Education Minister Susil Premajayantha had said that he is ready to issue a circular to resume the programme to recommence checking school bags. However, teachers are already checking school bags. A large number of drug-addicted schoolchildren who have been identified through such means are currently in rehabilitation centres,” claimed Fernando further. However, he said that a broad issue such as the exchanging of drugs among schoolchildren cannot be controlled through primary methods such as checking school bags, and stated that a formal and long-term programme should therefore be implemented for this purpose. He said that it is very important to strictly enforce the law against drug dealers around schools, especially since schoolchildren spend most of the day outside school. Police Media Spokesman, Senior Superintendent of Police, and Attorney-at-Law Nihal Thalduwa was not available for comment. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday (7), Premajayantha said that there are reports of drugs being brought into schools under the guise of toffees and certain other materials. Taking the matter into account, he said that it is expected that a circular will be issued by next week through which the relevant Provincial Directors of Education will be instructed to resume the programme to check the bags of schoolchildren.


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